1 Walter Reed was born on September 13, 1851, to a Methodist minister and his wife in Virginia. They surely did not know of the greatness their son would achieve as a young man. At an early age, Walter showed great intelligence. He went to a private school for his education.2 He then entered the University of Virginia. To become a doctor, it would take him two years at the college, but Walter finished in just one year. To this day, he still holds the honor of being the youngest person to graduate from the medical school. He was only 17 years old.3 Dr. Reed joined the Army in 1875 as an assistant surgeon. He was promoted to captain in 1880, and left for Fort McHenry in Baltimore. It was in Baltimore, about fifteen years later, that Reed began to study bacteria.